Lexi Thompson sits atop leaderboard at the ANA Inspiration

Lexi Thompson sits atop a packed leaderboard at 13-under par and holds the 54-hole lead at the ANA Inspiration. Thompson leads Suzann Pettersen by two shots and has a large group of pursuers within five shots of the lead.

This is the 11th time that Lexi Thompson has been the leader or co-leader after 54 holes in her career, including three of the last four ANA Inspirations. She has gone on to win the tournament five times, including her 2014 ANA Inspiration victory and most recently at the 2016 Honda LPGA Thailand.

Thompson is looking to take another leap into Poppie’s Pond and pick up her second major championship and first win of the 2017 season. She carded six birdies on the day to finish at 5-under, hitting ALL 18 greens in regulation.

“Yeah, well, that experience always helps me out, but I’m just going to focus on tomorrow, focus on one shot at a time, relax out there between shots, and just focus on doing my routine, visualizing my shots out there,” explained Thompson.

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Of the 10 players that are within five shots of the lead, seven are already major champions: Lexi Thompson, Suzann Pettersen, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie.

At the 2016 ANA Inspiration, Lexi Thompson held the solo lead entering the final round, but a 1-over 73 on Sunday left her in fifth place.

Lexi Thompson has led or co-led twice after Round 3 at the ANA Inspiration and has won once. Thompson has finished in the top 7 in her last three starts at Mission Hills.

In the 45-year history of the ANA Invitational, the third-round leader has won the title 26 times, most recently Lexi Thompson’s 2014 title.

"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you." - Maya Angelou